1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tailgates for dump boxes and, more particularly, to an automatic tailgate for a telescopic dump box.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Applicant's Canadian Patent No. 969,583 discloses a two-stage, telescoping dump box for a truck which allows the truck to dump its large load in considerably lower heights than achievable by any other end-dump trucks of similar size available on the market. To achieve this, the dump box comprises two telescoping sections consisting of a front inner section and of a rear outer section. The inner section is adapted to slidably engage an interior surface of the outer section. Hydraulic cylinders are provided between the sections to move the front section relative to the rear section thereby increasing or decreasing the load receiving volume of the dump box. This design further allows easy loading of the dump box on its full length even in areas where the dump box is restricted to end-loading.
The dump box disclosed in the above-mentioned Canadian Patent besides being open-ended at the top thereof is basically also open-ended at its rear to allow easy end-loading of the dump box.